While rewatching Superman: The Animated Series Season 2, Episodes 16-18, titled “World’s Finest,” I found some striking similarities between the Joker’s antics in this story and those of Heath Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. These episodes mark the first-ever meeting of Batman and Superman in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), as Batman travels to Metropolis to track down the Joker, who has offered to kill Superman for Lex Luthor.
Despite their different mediums, both portrayals of the Joker display consistent characteristics and schemes, which highlight just how iconic and true-to-form the Clown Prince of Crime is. Here are five key similar things I found they did between the two versions of the Joker.
Negotiating To Kill For Money
Superman: The Animated Series Episode 29
In World’s Finest, the Joker strikes a deal with Lex Luthor. After kidnapping Luthor (or “adult-napping,” if you will), the Joker explains that he’s gone broke thanks to Batman shutting down his operations in Gotham. He proposes a deadly business arrangement: for one billion dollars, he’ll kill Superman. Initially skeptical, Luthor changes his mind when Joker reveals a Kryptonite statue as his trump card.
Similarly, in The Dark Knight, the Joker interrupts a meeting of Gotham’s mob bosses, where they discuss their growing struggles against Batman, Harvey Dent, and Jim Gordon. Joker offers to kill Batman in exchange for half of the mob’s money. To prove his seriousness, he performs the infamous “magic trick” by slamming a thug’s head onto a pencil, killing him instantly.
Joker Got The Mob
Superman: The Animated Series Episode 29
In World’s Finest, Joker makes his presence known in Metropolis by crashing a dinner of local crime boss Ceasar Carlini and his thugs. He uses his signature laughing gas to incapacitate Carlini and takes over his hideout. The Metropolis police later find Carlini hysterically laughing, tipping Superman off to the Joker’s arrival in the city.
This echoes Joker’s entrance in The Dark Knight, where he crashes the mob bosses’ meeting. There, he mocks their attempts to evade Batman and the authorities, before presenting his plan to kill the Caped Crusader in exchange for half their money. Both scenes emphasize the Joker’s flair for chaos and his tendency to assert dominance over the criminal underworld.
Crashing A Party
Superman: The Animated Series Episode 30
In World’s Finest, Joker interrupts Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane’s romantic rooftop dinner. As Bruce and Lois lean in for a kiss, the Joker and his thugs arrive uninvited. Joker stuns Lois with an electric buzzer, rendering her unconscious, and kidnaps her. Bruce attempts to stop him, but the thugs’ gunfire forces him to retreat temporarily.
In The Dark Knight, Joker similarly crashes Harvey Dent’s fundraising party at Wayne’s penthouse. After demanding to know where Dent is, he corners Rachel Dawes and assumes she’s romantically linked to Dent. Rachel fights back but is ultimately thrown out of a window. Fortunately, Batman saves her in time.
Joker’s Got The Girl
Superman: The Animated Series Episode 30
In World’s Finest, after kidnapping Lois Lane, the Joker brings her to his hideout to lure Superman into a trap. Alongside Harley Quinn, Joker gleefully shows Lois the Kryptonite statue, bragging that once Superman is dead, the statue’s fragments will be worth a fortune. He even breaks it in half, reserving one piece for later.
In The Dark Knight, the Joker’s kidnapping antics take a darker turn. He kidnaps Rachel and Harvey Dent, tying them to chairs in separate locations surrounded by explosives. Through an intercom, the Joker forces Batman to choose which of the two to save. This cruel moral dilemma is a hallmark of the Joker’s sadistic schemes in both stories.
Joker Blows A Ship
Superman: The Animated Series Episode 30
In World’s Finest, Joker sets a trap for Superman by broadcasting a fake distress signal from a ship. When Superman arrives to investigate, Joker detonates a bomb, sinking the ship and creating a genuine crisis to distract the Man of Steel while he pursues Batman.
In The Dark Knight, Joker takes his love of explosives to new heights. He plants bombs on two ferries—one carrying civilians and the other carrying prisoners. He forces the passengers on each ship to choose between blowing up the other vessel or waiting until midnight, when he’ll destroy both. This morally twisted experiment showcases Joker’s penchant for chaos and psychological warfare, much like in World’s Finest.
How Does The Joker’s Chaotic Nature Challenge Heroes Like Superman And Batman?
The Joker thrives on chaos, forcing heroes into twisted moral dilemmas through manipulation and deadly games. Offering to kill Superman for cash or making Batman face impossible choices, he uses psychological warfare to push them to their breaking points.
What Do The Joker’s Party-Crashing Antics Reveal About His Character?
Crashing Bruce and Lois’s dinner or storming Harvey Dent’s fundraiser, the Joker thrives on turning order into chaos. His dramatic entrances aren’t just unpredictable—they’re calculated moves to instill fear and upend control.
How Does The Joker Use Hostages To Maintain Control Over His Enemies?
By kidnapping figures like Lois Lane or Rachel Dawes, the Joker manipulates his enemies with precision. These high-stakes scenarios aren’t just about leverage—they’re tests of his opponents’ morality and their willingness to make devastating choices.
What Do The Joker’s Large-Scale Schemes, Like Blowing Up Ships, Signify About His Goals?
From sinking ships in Metropolis to orchestrating Gotham’s ferry standoff, the Joker’s schemes are designed to shatter societal norms. These destructive acts expose humanity’s darkest instincts and his relentless drive to unravel moral boundaries.
